Transform your data seamlessly in 2023! Discover the nuances of hiring qualified ETL developers, ensuring efficient data integration and business insights.
If you hire ETL developers (an acronym for Extract, Transform, and Load) they will extract data from one or more sources, transform it into a predefined format, and then load it into a data warehouse system. This process is also called data preparation and is used to structure data for later use.
Extraction
The first step of ETL is called extraction. This means digging/pulling data from heterogeneous applications and other sources of interest. Most companies extract data first and then filter it according to their specific needs.
This data is consolidated from these various sources and taken to a staging area. There, you can use it for auditing, backup, and recovery.
You can perform complete or partial data extraction. In full data extraction, all source data is collected without filters. In partial data extraction, only the modified data is extracted from the source. This technique requires the source to keep track of the modified data.
Transformation
Once the data is extracted, mapping and cleaning is required. This step is called transformation. In this step, the data is structured and formatted so that you can use it later for analysis.
In this step, engineers perform many custom operations such as sorting, aggregation, and deduplication. Finally, standardization is used on the data to ensure that the end result is compatible with existing business requirements.
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In this step, the transformed data is taken to a data warehouse system/database from where you can collect the data for use. In this process, data is written to the destination location. Analysts can then use this data to generate business insights or connect it to data science projects.
The ETL process requires stakeholders as well as testers, analysts, executives, and engineers to properly define the roadmap. The idea is to get feedback from everyone to really understand what the company needs from the data it collects.
After completing the ETL process, the next process is data analysis. This is called business intelligence and involves analysts and data scientists. They check and analyze the data and use it to make decisions, all in accordance with the strategy defined in the initial stages of the ETL process.
Most companies are now investing in automated ETL tools to make the entire process efficient and fast. ETL allows verification and comparison of sample data, through which companies can perform rudimentary analysis. It then generates a visual flow of information.
Through ETL, you can perform impact analysis and trace data lineage for historical significance. To perform these tasks, you need specific tools called ETL tools.
ETL in the current market
ETL is an essential part of data science and BI projects. It allows you to collect data from multiple sources for analysis and insights. It's an essential first step that will eventually allow you to make more informed decisions.
All large companies are now using data science and AI to guide their decision-making. For example, it is estimated that 75% of project financing decisions will be made through analytics by 2025. Data science is the future, and ETL processes are an important part of it. Without them, there will be no data to leverage.
Problems companies face when hiring an ETL engineer
ETL engineers typically develop, automate, support, and design multifaceted applications to extract, transform, and load data. This is a complex role, which requires technical and commercial knowledge. Unfortunately, finding an engineer with both is a challenge as most engineers tend to only focus on technical knowledge.
Even if an engineer has the necessary knowledge to handle data, ETL processes can sometimes be too complex. For example, the font may suffer from a design error or the data load may be larger than expected. In situations like these, an inexperienced engineer will not be able to write queries optimized for data manipulation. Therefore, you need an engineer who can handle these situations to achieve optimal process control.
How to choose a good ETL engineer
An ETL services engineer must have excellent knowledge of data design and architecture. Furthermore, they must know how to integrate data into backend services and databases.
When you hire a data integration ETL developer, they should be experts in data warehousing and have experience with ETL tools. Additionally, they must know UNIX scripts and be able to execute database queries.
Additionally, you should always look for an engineer who knows how to perform data visualization as you will get better reports for the resulting insights. To ensure you get the correct results, add this to your ETL job description . The selected engineer must be proficient in Python and SQL. Additionally, candidates with knowledge in data modeling should be preferred.
ETL Interview Questions
1. What is registration and how is it done?
Logging is the process of keeping track of all the activities that happen before, during and after the ETL process. All details such as metadata, timestamps, counts and discards are added to a flat file. Notifications can be created for any incompatible data and sent to the respective teams.
2. In ETL, what is the role of impact analysis?
Impact analysis means checking the metadata associated with a specific entity and deciding which part of the warehouse data will be affected. Doing this is important because you must know which tables or columns are affected by a specific data transfer to minimize data disruption.
3. What is an ETL validator?
ETL validators are testing tools that analyze data integration and migration for ETL processes. They compare records and notify the engineer if something is wrong with the data files.
4. What is data profiling?
It is a logical analysis of the context, scope, and quality of the data source used for ETL. It is used to discover problems in the source and quality of data. A good data profile will show the structure of the data and its correlations to help determine the amount of cleaning needed for a specific data file.
5. What are some common ETL tools on the market?
Some of the common ETL tools that companies use are SQL Server Integration Service (SSIS), Elixir Repertoire, SAS Data Management, IBM Infosphere Information Server, and Oracle Warehouse Builder (OWB).
Job description
We are looking for motivated ETL engineers who can handle the overall data management design process. They must be able to create functional ETL pipelines based on different requirements. The engineer may also be required to work on data modeling and simulation.
The selected engineer will be part of a global team that fulfills functional requests and meets diverse business specifications. Therefore, the selected engineer must have good communication skills to collaborate with diverse stakeholders.
Responsibilities
- Work on data warehousing, data integration, data migration, and business intelligence
- Create software modules for mappings and transformations.
- Work on data design and functionality
- Maintain data scalability and maintainability
- Work on ETL pipelines and fix issues associated with them.
- Gather business requirements from stakeholders and perform data profiling
- Follow industry best practices and standards
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Skills and qualifications
- Basic ETL Skills , including Knowledge of ETL processes. Must have previous experience with ETL tools.
- Experience designing functional ETL code modules
- Proven experience with data mapping and data storage. Must also have experience in data modeling
- Deep knowledge of SQL and query optimization.
- Experience with code versioning tools (Git and Jenkins)
- Knowledge of testing and debugging code
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Conclusion
ETL processes provide constant access to the latest information and enable faster reporting. Having the right data can help you make the right decisions and improve your business.